Burner assembly producing radiant heat

ABSTRACT

A burner assembly producing radiant heat by discharging the burning fuel towards the surface of a refractory structure from which the heat radiates onto objects or articles to be heated. The face of the ceramic structure is provided with fissures into which the burning fuel enters and recycles to increase the temperature of the refractory structure from which heat radiates.

Unite States Patent Zinlr et all.

[ Feb. 1, 1972 [541 BURNER ASSEMBLY PRODUCING RADHANT HEAT [72] Inventors: John Smith Zink; Robert D. Reed, both of Tulsa, Okla.

[73] Assignee: John Zink Company, Tulsa, Okla.

[22] Filed: July 31, 1969 [21] Appl. No: 846,405

[52] U.S.Cl ..431/l77, 431/347 [51] 1nt.C|... ..F23c 5/10 [58] Field ofSearch ..ll0/1A;431/7,177,181,187,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,704,875 3/1929 Vaughn .431/348 X 1,772,350 8/1930 Hobbs ..110/1 A 2,667,216 1/1954 Zink et al.. ..431/347 3,315,726 4/1967 Williams. ..431/348 X 3,416,735 12/1968 Reed ..431/347 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 13,595 1915 Great Britain ..431/347 Primary Examiner-Carroll B. Dority, Jr. Attorney-Lloyd P. Shank and Clelle W. Upchurch 5 7] ABSTRACT A burner assembly producing radiant heat by discharging the burning fuel towards the surface of a refractory structure from which the heat radiates onto objects or articles to be heated. The face of the ceramic structure is provided with fissures into which the burning fuel enters and recycles to increase the temperature of the refractory structure from which heat radiates.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures BURNER ASSEMBLY PRODUCING RADIANT HEAT The present invention relates to a fuel burnerin association with a ceramic structure for the dispersion of heat over a relatively large area of the ceramic body and the invention more specifically pertains to a burner assembly wherein burning fuel is discharged radially outward from the burner head towards the face of the ceramic body which is provided with fissures or grooves into which the burning fuel moves and is recycled to provide an increase in the temperature of the ceramic body from which heat radiates onto objects to be heated.

It is known to discharge burning fuel generally parallel but onto the face ofa ceramic structure. The ceramic member has been provided with projections for engagement of the burning fuel to provide turbulence and dispersion of the burning fuel and the hot products of combustion. Such burner assemblies perform satisfactorily but have the disadvantage that they require highly specialized refractory or ceramic bodies which are costly. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an assembly for producing radiant heat by avoiding cast refractory bodies and to provide a ceramic structure which will provide turbulence of the burning fuel and which tends to retain the hot products of the combustion and the burning fuel in intimate contact with the refractory structure without the necessity of providing ribs or the like which project from the face ofthe refractory body.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide grooves or fissures in the face of the refractory structure which surrounds the burner head and onto which the burning fuel and the hot products of combustion are directed with the grooves or fissures so designed and positioned that the burning fuel and the hot products of combustion enter the grooves and tend to recycle therein to thereby retain the burning fuel and the hot products of combustion in intimate contact with the ceramic body over a longer period and to thereby increase the temperature of the ceramic structure from which the heat radiates.

Other objects and features of the invention will be appreciated and become apparent particularly to those skilled in the fuel burning art as the present disclosure proceeds and upon consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings wherein several exemplary embodiments ofthe invention are disclosed.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a burner assembly embodying-the invention.

FIG. 2 is the sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a further enlarged sectional view showing one of the grooves formed in the face of the refractory body.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the burner head showing another type of groove arrangement in the face of the ceramic structure.

The invention pertains to a burner head for discharging the products of combustion along and onto the face of a ceramic body. so that heat radiates from the refractory structure onto objects to be heated. A feature of the invention pertains to the refractory structure of a furnace wall which is provided with grooves or fissures into which the burning fuel enters and cycles therein to prolong the period during which the hot products of combustion are in contact with a refractory body.

Referring to the drawings there is shown at a furnace wall which may be covered on its exterior face with metal sheeting 11. An opening 12 formed in the furnace wall accommodates a burner assembly 14 and accessory elements which provide for the combustion of fuel adjacent the inner face 16 of the furnace wall. The opening 12 is of such a diameter to permit the burner assembly and the enlarged head 17 to be introduced therethrough and to provide an annular space through which secondary air may move in the direction of the arrows 18. The volume of secondary air may be controlled by damper 19 mounted for movement on the burner assembly 14.

The burner assembly 14 is of conventional construction and fuel is supplied by a pipe 21 and is discharged into the throat of an aspirating assembly 22. The fuel escapes through an orifice 23 into the throat of the aspirator and air is drawn thereinto and mixed with the fuel. The fuel mixture moves downstream and escapes through slots 24 in the downstream end portion of the burner assembly. The fuel escaping through the slots 24 upon ignition moves in the direction of the arrows 26 and into engagement with the refractory structure and along the downstream face 16.

The refractory body as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be formed of refractory bricks of any suitable dimensions but a feature of the assembly is the provision of grooves of fissures in the ceramic body such as shown at 28 in FIGS. 3 and 4. Such grooves may be formed by omitting mortar between the refractory bricks in the zone adjacent the downstream face 16 of the furnace wall. The mortar is indicated at 29 in FIG. 3, but is omitted adjacent the face 16 to a depth of from two to four times the thickness of the mortar 29. The mortar is omitted in the horizontally extending and in the vertically extendingjoints. The grooves 28 are provided within an area embraced by a circle having a radius of about one foot from the axis of the burner head.

When the burning fuel moves outwardly from the burner head 17 and in the direction of the arrows 26, the hot products of combustion move at a greater velocity in the area 31 than the velocity in the area 32. Thus the pressure at the area 31 is slightly less than the pressure at the area 32. The pressure within the groove 28 is slightly less than the pressure on the surface 16 of the refractory body and some of the hot gases and the flame are diverted into the groove 28 as shown in FIG. 4 to deliver heat to the refractory structure within the respective grooves. The surfaces 36, 37 and 38 are heated and there is heat dissipation by radiation through the open end of the grooves 28 from the surfaces within the fissures.

The objects positioned forwardly of the surface 16 are at temperature levels less than the surfaces within the grooves 28 and form a heat-sink. The surface 16 faces towards this heat sink and the dissipation of heat therefrom is rapid. Thus the surface 16 is at a lower temperature level than the temperature level of the surfaces 3637 and 38 and the temperature difference between the surfaces 16 and the interior surfaces of the groove 28 is never less than 200 F. and may be as great as 600 F. depending upon the width and depth of the groove or fissure 28. The preferred width of the grooves is about oneeighth of an inch and the preferred depth is about one-fourth of an inch.

A modification is shown in FIG. 5 wherein the refractory body surrounding the burner head 17 is formed of moldable ceramic material. The grooves or fissures 28" are formed by scoring the face 16 to provide grooves which are concentric about the axis of the burner assembly 14.

While the invention has been described with reference to specific structural features, it will be appreciated that changes may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A burner assembly for producing radiant heat comprising, a furnace wall formed of ceramic material, said wall having an inner face arranged in one general plane, a burner head projecting through said wall having slots therein for the escape of a fuel mixture in directions radially of'the burner head and towards said inner face whereby the burning fuel and the hot products of combustion move over the inner face of said wall radially outwardly from said burner head, said wall having grooves therein open at said inner face, and side surfaces of said grooves being disposed generally transversely of lines which project along said inner face and radially from said burner head whereby some of the hot gases and flame enter the grooves and cycle therein to heat the ceramic wall within the grooves.

2. A burner assembly for producing radiant heat according to claim 1 wherein the grooves are substantially rectangular shaped viewed in section. 

1. A burner assembly for producing radiant heat comprising, a furnace wall formed of ceramic material, said wall having an inner face arranged in one general plane, a burner head projecting through said wall having slots therein for the escape of a fuel mixture in directions radially of the burner head and towards said inner face whereby the burning fuel and the hot products of combustion move over the inner face of said wall radially outwardly from said burner head, said wall having grooves therein open at said inner face, and side surfaces of said grooves being disposed generally transversely of lines which project along said inner face and radially from said burner head whereby some of the hot gases and flame enter the grooves and cycle therein to heat the ceramic wall within the grooves.
 2. A burner assembly for producing radiant heat according to claim 1 wherein the grooves are substantially rectangular shaped viewed in section. 